Fans seem less troubled with points reset now

THATSRACIN.COM OPINION

DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer

Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008

Some notes, quotes, observations and more on NASCAR, other motorsports and beyond:

OBSERVATIONS

Real shame about all those points, but ...

Where's all the whining about how unfair it is for the points leader going into the Chase to be about to lose almost all of that lead he's built all year? Jeff Gordon was up 312 points on second-place Tony Stewart after 26 races a year ago, but because of the new bonus points system he wasn't even the No. 1 seed when the Chase started. There was considerable controversy about that. This year, Kyle Busch is 208 points up on Carl Edwards, but he'll see that drop to no more than 40 points after Richmond, and that's even if he wins there. Yet nobody seems terribly put out by that. Wonder why?

Franchitti's move makes sense

I still don't think anybody knows for sure if Dario Franchitti could make it as a stock-car driver or not, but you can't blame him one bit for going back across the fence to open wheel. Dan Wheldon's move to Panther Racing in the IndyCar Series opened a slot for Franchitti as Scott Dixon's teammate at Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon is in good position to win this year's IRL title, so that means next year Ganassi could open the season with the past two champions driving his cars. That's strong. The IndyCar schedule for 2009 is 10 ovals and eight road courses. That had to be an appealing option for Franchitti.

MY TWO CENTS

I keep getting reminders about how slow I can be to pick up on things, and another one came last Friday as the Top Fuel cars were rolling up to the tree to start the first round of qualifying for the National Hot Rod Association's U.S. Nationals.

The NHRA pro teams got five qualifying passes at Indy and are scheduled to get four at the Carolinas Nationals here on Sept. 11-13. But until the cars were literally staging for the first runs at the U.S. Nationals I hadn't really thought about the fact that drag racers get zero practice runs at an event.

They come off the trucks and from the first time they hammer the throttle everything counts. A team that gets a good run down the first trip might be able to work on some things in subsequent passes, but every trip down the track is counted for something.

The NHRA will begin its six-race championship Countdown at zMAX Dragway @ Concord and it's a track that none of them will have ever been down. Can you imagine how badly NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs would freak out if they were told they were going to have to start qualifying for the first Chase race with their very first lap on a track they'd never seen before?

I know there are obvious differences and I know it's not the same kind of racing. And I know it's the same for everybody.

But still. No practice? Wow.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 – Lowest championship finishing position of any driver entering NASCAR's Chase as the No. 1 seed (Jeff Gordon in 2004).

1 – Times any driver seeded lower than 2nd entering the Chase has won the championship (Kurt Busch started the Chase seventh in 2004).

9 – Most positions any driver has moved up from Chase starting point to finishing position (Clint Bowyer, 12th to third last year).

NOTES

Carolinas Nationals will have 'home' teams

It won't be hard for drag racing fans in the Carolinas to find local racers to root for at the Carolinas Nationals next week.

Around 50 racers from the Carolinas are scheduled to compete in the various sportsman divisions that will run alongside the professionals during the Sept. 11-14 event.

In the pro ranks, Bob Gilbertson's return to race his Funny Car with sponsorship from Rianni Tankless water heaters means there will be at least one team with North Carolina roots in each class. Mike Kloeber has been named as the crew chief on the car for Gilbertson, a veteran drag racer who lives in Charlotte.

Pro Stock includes Mooresville-based teams featuring Greg Anderson and Jason Line and Jeg Coughlin and Dave Connolly. Matt Smith of King, N.C., is the No. 1 seed in the Countdown to One in Pro Stock Motorcycles and Angie McBride of Kernersville and Shawn Gann of Stoneville are also entered in that class.

And, of course, there is the Lincolnton-based Top Fuel team led by Countdown contender Doug Herbert, who has a very busy week scheduled.

In addition to trying to win the inaugural event at the $60 million zMAX Dragway, Herbert also will be working to increase awareness and raise money for his Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe (BRAKES) program to promote safe driving among teenagers.

Herbert, whose two sons were killed in a car crash near Huntersville earlier this year, will join with Speedway Children's Charities in hosting a golf tournament at Rocky River Golf Club next Thursday. That night the Doug Herbert & Friends charity dinner will be held at the Speedway Club at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The dinner will include live and silent auctions, with items ranging from autographed memorabilia and one-of-a-kind race weekend experiences to vacations, condo rentals and, believe it or not, a 1964 Cadillac convertible that has been donated to the cause.

For information about the golf tournament or the dinner, call Amanda Hollingsworth at (704) 532-3318 or email her at ahollingsworth@smicorporate.com.

Briefly

• NASCAR announced Thursday an amendment to engine rules in the Craftsman Truck Series that mirrors the recent and controversial change made in the Nationwide Series. The change limits Toyota teams to four 1.100-inch diameter holes in the tapered carburetor spacers used on their engines, while allowing 1.125-inch diameter holes for other manufacturers. That effectively cuts the horsepower produced by Toyota engines.

• Rockingham Dragway will host the American Drag Racing League at "Dragstock V" on Sept. 12-13 with Pro Eextreme, Pro Nitrous, Extreme 10.5 and Pro Eextreme Motorcycles competing in eighth-mile competition. Tickets are available at www.rockinghamdragway.com or at the track's ticket office.

• Daytona International Speedway is replacing the seats in its lower grandstand areas in turns 1 and 4 with chair seats with arm rests, replacing risers and walkways and creating more open areas underneath the stands for more concession and souvenir kiosks as part of a major renovation project.

reprint or license